The present invention relates to a multifunctional repeater interface which can act as a repeater on a bidirectional communication bus and can interface various types of communication equipment.
As the proliferation of communication equipment increases, there is a concomitant increasing need for interfacing various types of communication equipment together. The need for such interfaces is also increased because of the increasing number of transmission standards which have been and are being adopted. Such standards dictate communication speeds, line distances, voltage levels, transmission wire characteristics, and receiver/driver characteristics. It becomes important, therefore, to provide interfaces so that equipment which normally is configured to communicate over one type of bus and with similar type of equipment can in fact communicate over other types of buses and with other types of equipment.
Furthermore, bus standards are now being adopted which allow for bidirectional data communication over the same pair of wires whereas previous standards and/or systems required a separate pair of wires for bidirectional data communication. Thus, if repeaters are to be designed for data communication systems, it is desirable that these repeaters be functional over a single pair of wires for bidirectional data flow and at the same time be constructed so that the turn around time of typical data buses does not allow for data traveling through the repeater in one direction to be recirculated through the repeater such that the data is repeatedly transmitted in both directions.